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Have you been following along with the New Perspectives Series? I know many of you are enjoying it since my readership has nearly doubled since featuring this series! If you haven’t been reading, here is what you’ve missed so far (but don’t worry, it’s never too late to catch up!). James Day Leavitt, a writer, musician and occasional painter, wrote a reflection titled Holding Shadows: Forgiveness and Acceptance of the Past. This piece inspired this series of guest posts by other writers weighing in on their perspectives about emotions, health, and being a human. Guest writer, David, wrote a post called Looking Way (Way) Back: An Evolutionary Perspective for Modern Mental Health. This has proven to be an extremely popular post, and I can see why. I like how David uses the big picture view of evolution to understand why life can . . . read more

Recently I heard a talk radio program where the host said (in reference to what, I cannot remember), “This is not like psychotherapy where they are trying to fix you…” I couldn’t hear the rest because I was in total shock. I knew this point of view existed, but I had never heard it said so succinctly: psychotherapists try to fix people. I could only think in little sound bites: Wait. Time out. FALSE. It took me a couple of weeks to recover and process. So now let me say in response that I’m not interested in fixing anyone. I don’t believe anyone is broken. At the heart of it, I actually think most people fear they are broken, but are not. It’s this fear that creates a lot of problems. As a therapist, I do not try to fix . . . read more

I’m pleased to offer this piece by guest writer, James Day Leavitt. (photo credit: Siobhán Butler) I imagine my past as a long hallway, with doors along each side of the corridor. Behind some doors are my difficult experiences. Things I don’t want to see anymore. Regrets, mistakes, animosities, hostilities, hurts and lost loves. I don’t want to replay these things. They are uncomfortable to see. I am embarrassed and would like to start fresh, new, and unencumbered by the past. That’s why re-birth, and absolution of ones sins is so popular a concept. I’ve spent a lot of time and energy (memory energy) going back and checking the doors to make sure they are secure, locked, or at least mostly closed. I get scared they may come out and poison what I have made or are about to make . . . read more